Posts Tagged “mps expenses”
Dear Daily Telegraph, Enough already. It’s actually okay for MPs to claim 11p for a ruler.
by Stephen Tall on July 12, 2014
So the Telegraph is back to its old tricks on expenses. Five years ago, the paper uncovered some serious abuses by MPs at the taxpayers’ expense – along the way, the paper was also (as I wrote at the time) “guilty of flaky fact-checking, unfair distortions and disgraceful smears”. Yesterday the paper attempted, rather desperately, […]
Why I’m not raising my pitch-fork in jubilant celebration at Maria Miller’s resignation
by Stephen Tall on April 9, 2014
Maria Miller has resigned as the Coalition’s culture secretary. The reaction of most people will probably be the same as Labour MP John Mann, whose complaint triggered her downfall: “about time”. Not me. The Independent’s John Rentoul summarised it very (…)
Why we shouldn’t ban MPs from having second jobs
by Stephen Tall on July 9, 2013
Ed Miliband, attempting to turn the row over alleged candidate fixing by Unite to his advantage, has proposed ending the right of MPs to have second jobs: “The question of MPs’ second outside jobs has been discussed but not properly (…)
Maria Miller, the Telegraph and Leveson: how statutory regulation begins & how the press is bringing it on itself
by Stephen Tall on December 12, 2012
Now I’m more than a little sceptical about Leveson: I think he’s firing the wrong bullet (regulation backed by statute) at a target that’s moving out of range (the ‘dead tree press’). However, I’m also deeply sceptical about the press’s ability to report facts straight. Which leaves me a bit conflicted at this morning’s report: [...]
What did George Osborne agree to do that Nick Clegg refused to do?
by Stephen Tall on November 22, 2012
(You can like and share this graphic via LibDemVoice’s Facebook page by clicking here.) Compare and contrast: This… Nick Clegg gives house sale profits to taxpayer Nick Clegg has sold his constituency home, giving almost £40,000 in profits to the taxpayer. The deputy prime minister is now renting a two-bedroom flat, having received £325,000 for [...]
++ SHOCK! HORROR! LIB DEM MP CAUGHT UP IN NEW EXPENSES ROW!
by Stephen Tall on November 9, 2012
I’m deeply grateful to the Manchester Evening News and its reporter Deborah Linton for exposing Manchester MP John Leech’s shameless attempts to exploit the taxpayer by… (brace yourselves for the shock)… … offering coffee to staff working at his constituency office and members of the public visiting him. With unbelievable extravagance, Mr Leech has splashed [...]
Danny Alexander: pay tax as I say not as I do?
by Stephen Tall on June 23, 2012
Lib Dem chief secretary to the treasury Danny Alexander wrote a powerful article — Rich tax dodgers are as bad as dole cheats — for this week’s Sun newspaper. His condemnation of those, such as Jimmy Carr, who legally avoid paying their taxes couldn’t have been stronger: … to most people it’s outrageous that a [...]
David Laws issues statement on his expenses and sexuality
by Stephen Tall on May 28, 2010
David Laws has apologised, promised to pay back up to £40,000, and referred himself to the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner after the Telegraph published expenses claims showing he rented a room from his partner.
The paper’s story shows that David:
David claimed between £700 and £950 a month between 2004 and 2007 to sub-let a room [...]
Torygraph smears Clegg: is this the best the rightwing press can do?
by Stephen Tall on April 21, 2010
Tomorrow’s Daily Torygraph has the absolutely D-E-V-A-S-T-A-T-I-N-G story that before Nick Clegg became Lib Dem leader he received donations from donors which he declared in the MPs’ register of interests in order to pay a researcher on his staff. Shock, horror etc.
The story is here. It shows that three Lib Dem donors, Ian Wright, Neil [...]
